You Grew on Me
by AstronomicalDragon
Summary: "I guess I've just grown on you, right!" Josuke grinned. "Like a tumour." Rohan murmured in agreement, before going back to his sketch.


This is my first story in this fandom, and these two idiots are my absolute favourites so far. I highly recommend giving 'You Grew on Me' by Tim Minchin a listen - that song is not only really clever but painstakingly beautiful.

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Rohan liked to believe he was a simple man. He drew manga. He went to great lengths to make sure said manga were perfect. And, as long as he was left alone to it he was more than happy.

He was peaceful. It had been well over a year since the stand incidents in Morioh came to a sudden halt, and he spent most of his time drawing, travelling and hanging out with the few people he had come to trust, mostly with Koichi.

His life wasn't exactly what you'd describe as conventionally busy – but late nights spent drawing out his manga volumes ahead of time kept him more than satisfied. He'd settled into an easy daily routine and had no plans of changing it.

That is, until a certain Josuke Higashikata turned up at his door one wonderful morning to ruin it.

Rohan had sent him flying backwards using Heaven's Door before the younger man even had time to open his stupid mouth.

He slammed his door shut with an annoyed huff and began to make his way back upstairs where he intended to work on his latest chapter. In peace. He was pretty sure he conveyed that message clearly to the brat that was most likely currently either sprawled out somewhere on his driveway or hopefully on his way somewhere far, far away.

Rohan didn't want him cluttering his lawn, after all.

Yet, before he made it even three steps up, another loud knock resounded on his door.

Rohan was in utter disbelief. The audacity.

He swore to himself there and then, that if Josuke was here to play another one of his pathetic tricks Rohan would use his stand to make sure the kid never talked again. Or better yet, he'd write in for all his hair to fall out so that the mangaka would never have to see that ridiculous hairstyle ever again. Every time he saw it a little shrivel of his creativity died a painful death.

Hell, he was pretty sure he'd be doing Josuke a favour more than anything.

So he turned on his heel and stormed to the door with a wild look in his eyes, swinging it open with enough power that the displaced air matted a few stray strands of his hair.

"What do you want, Josuke Higashikata?!" he hissed.

Only to realise he was face to face with the milkman, who looked like he was approximately two seconds away from pissing himself. Josuke was sprawled on the ground a little ways off, only lifting his head to stare at the scene like a rabbit.

Cursing, Rohan summoned Heaven's Door and wrote 'You will forget the last four seconds' in the margin of one of the man's pages.

The milkman's eyes returned from deer in the headlights levels of wide to normal, albeit slightly shocked.

"I haven't even knocked yet…" he murmured under his breath, before seemingly recollecting himself and holding out a bottle to Rohan. "Here's your milk, sir." He said, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Rohan accepted it warily.

The milkman made a hasty retreat back to his milk cart. He didn't look back.

Josuke was laughing his ass off in the background.

Rohan sent him the meanest glare he could manage but before he had time to slam his door shut again (Again! The great Kishibe Rohan had to deal with not one, but two clueless idiots in one morning! He clearly remembered telling the milkman to leave the milk at the porch without knocking at most a week ago!) Josuke called out to him.

"Wait! Wait. Please." He huffed as loud as he could, breathing in jolts as he got up off the grass. Rohan noted that he'd made quite the skid marks while landing, ruining his perfect fucking lawn. The disgusting grin on the idiot's face made Rohan want to puke. Didn't he have someone else to bother?

Yet, something in the other's expression glued his feet to the spot, and he hesitated in shutting the door and blocking the other out. Maybe it was the determined crease of the other's brow or the glint his eyes took on.

Rohan would hear him out, but only because the problems enemy stands could bring were still rather fresh on his mind.

"I wanted to talk to you." The teen said, swaggering his way towards the porch.

Rohan raised an eyebrow.

"I don't see how I owe you the time of day, Josuke." He chided. "Unlike some people I actually have work to get back to."

"This won't take long." The other assured, coming to a stop next to the first step up to Rohan's door. They haven't been in this close a proximity for years, Rohan felt his skin prickle in annoyance. Maybe he's having an allergic reaction to the punk?

Josuke wasn't facing him either, his eyes seemed to be glued to the ground at the mangaka's feet. Rohan felt his lip curl.

Suddenly, Josuke's gaze snapped up to meet Rohan's, who had to consciously hold himself still as a jolt went through him at the piercing eyes fixed on his own.

"I'd like us to be friends."

Josuke's announcement fell on deaf ears. Rohan was frozen in place, staring at the boy as if he had just been struck by lightning. 'He's crazy!' was the only thought on his mind for several dull moments, before the paranoia began to set in.

What could this asshole be planning? Would it end up with my house setting ablaze again? Rohan couldn't bring himself to comprehend what could be going through the fool's mind. After all the stunts Josuke has pulled on him in the time of their acquaintance, surely he wouldn't expect the great Rohan Kishibe to just _forgive_ him!?

And yet, Josuke continued to just stand there with an almost… earnest expression on his face. It was almost as if he was begging Rohan to use Heaven's Door again. Honestly, Rohan was a little annoyed that he'd dare suggesting friendship in lieu of whatever nasty little plan he was hoping to go through with today.

"What's your game, Josuke? Spit it out." He ground out, glaring daggers at the student before him.

Josuke blinked twice before the rigidness left his posture. It seemed maybe he was expecting for Rohan to send him flying again. The thought bought a slight grin to the mangaka's lips, but it left them just as quickly. That's exactly what he should have done, damn it!

"I'm not lying Rohan." He said, clutching his fists by his sides and leaning forward slightly. "I believe we got off on the wrong foot."

The artist scoffed. No shit.

"And what, continued spiralling downwards from there? Just… leave, or I'll make you." Heaven's door appeared by his side as a reminder to Josuke to watch himself. "You already know I don't make idle threats."

"No, seriously!" Josuke waved an arm. "You can be a horrifying asshole sometimes but we can't keep hating on each other forever, right?! Even Koichi thinks so!"

Rohan clenched his teeth. His patience was running short.

"Speak for yourself you amateur. I have every intention to keep hating you till the day I die, now stop wasting my precious time and get the fuck away from my house. Otherwise I might just set you on fire to return the favour!" He seethed. His Stand leaned closer to Josuke in an intimidating manner.

Josuke looked like he was about to say something yet thought better of it, and as the silence stretched Rohan finally snapped and slammed the door in the asshole's face.

'He should consider himself lucky I didn't kill him right then and there.' He thought to himself as he stormed his way up to his studio, throwing himself into the chair and taking a pen in hand, ready to finally continue the work he was so rudely torn away from.

Yet, as he sat there with the nib of the pen hovering just above an unfinished panel, he couldn't bring himself to set it down and begin drawing again.

The chapter he was on currently was meant to be a joyous one, the calm before the storm that his heroes would have to endure. He knew that if he attempted to draw it out in this frantically aggressive state of mind the anger would translate into the artwork.

That just wouldn't do.

He glared at the paper with an anger he hadn't quite felt in over a year and he remembered exactly why it was that the teenager and he had never gotten along. He couldn't work like this.

Wish a sigh, he cursed Josuke for ever daring to cross the threshold of his house on the day they met, when Rohan was still obsessed with tearing out Koichi's 'pages' for research.

He cursed Koichi for choosing to be friends with one of the most annoying people the artist had ever met.

He cursed the milkman for never fucking remembering to just leave the damned milk at his porch.

But most of all, he cursed himself for allowing Josuke to get a rise out of him so effortlessly.

Kishibe Rohan got up from his plush chair, slung his designer totem bag over his shoulder and sneered. Apparently he wasn't getting any more of the chapter done until he cooled off.

It was time to go out for some research.

Josuke had a problem. That problem was a certain manga artist who happened to live in the same town as him.

You see, Josuke liked to think he was a simple man.

He wanted to see his friends happy. He didn't get along with petty people. He didn't leave any loose ends. He struggled to keep a grudge.

It wasn't necessary for him to get into Kishibe Rohan's good books. No – not at all. Yet something within him just insisted that it was wrong to leave the situation as it was.

After all, the mangaka had saved his life before, and even if the favour had been returned, Josuke didn't take that shit lightly. It was quite possible that he'd even hoped that their feud could die down after that, though he wouldn't admit it if anyone asked him. He should have known better though – Rohan was one hell of a stubborn bastard.

Still, Josuke was equally persistent. Hell, he bet he could give the artist a run for his money when it came to that, at least.

So, he decided that he was going to make amends with Rohan, whether the other male liked it or not.

So, that sunny Tuesday morning seemed like the perfect time to do exactly that.

The April weather was intoxicating and he was filled with the enthusiasm of finally beginning his final year of studies. Butterflies fluttered in the air and birdsong blended with the typical sounds of the town, filling him with a brimming confidence that everything was going to go splendidly.

Only, after his short-lived visit to Rohan's house (read: the artist's front porch) Josuke couldn't help but deflate a little. So much for that plan. At least he wasn't late to school or anything – his teachers had reason enough to be suspicious of his behaviour (what with all the missing school to save the WHOLE TOWN and whatnot the previous year) and he didn't need to give them any more reason to dislike him.

He trudged along slowly, bag over his shoulder, wondering about where to go next from here.

He couldn't just show up at Rohan's house again. He valued his neck, and wanted it to stay as un-broken as possible.

Besides, he didn't want to engage in stalkerish behaviour anyways.

When the school was finally in sight, he felt a presence at his side.

Turning to Koichi he murmured a quiet 'Good morning' before looking back at the path ahead of him.

"I take it, that your plan of randomly showing up at his door didn't go too well?" Koichi asked.

"What gave you that idea?" Josuke muttered with a huff. Koichi looked up at him with a smile.

"Your back is covered in grass Josuke. I'm not surprised that he flung you, but I am surprised that you didn't at least manage to stick the landing." He chided.

Josuke pouted.

"Hey, it could have been worse." He reasoned, summoning Crazy Diamond to 'fix' his school uniform. It wouldn't do for Okuyasu to start asking questions too.

"That I can agree on! I'm a little surprised to see you uninjured, honestly. What did he say?" Koichi glanced up to gauge Josuke's expression. It happened to be a frown.

"He doesn't trust me. Not that I can blame him, but it does piss me off." He concluded, blowing a stray hair out of his face. Curses! No matter how much hair gel he used this always seemed to happen.

"You're not about to give up though." His friend sighed.

"I'm not a quitter." Josuke shrugged, before trying to poke several strands of hair back into position. Feisty little fuckers just wouldn't go down.

"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do. You two push each other to some never before reached extremes." Koichi giggled. "Though, I can almost see you getting along sometimes. Almost, and if I really, really squint."

Josuke paused in his steps as an idea struck him, Koichi lagging a few seconds behind and turning around to face his friend in bewilderment.

"You know," Josuke began with a smile, "I'll grow on him. He just doesn't know it yet. And when he does realise, he won't know what hit him." He grinned and did a fist pump in the air. "Watch out, Kishibe Rohan, I won't go easy on you!"

Koichi could only watch and shake his head at Josuke's antics.

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Lengthwise, this was originally going to be a one-shot but it got a bit out of hand and I thought it'd be best to split it into parts - more will be coming soon!  
Please comment and tell me what you liked or didn't - comments are my lifeblood and inspiration to continue writing.  
I hope you enjoyed my (so far) only contribution to this fandom!


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